Hey everyone! This story is finally being beta'd from the beginning. So yay! Thanks a lot to Zickachik for that. She's an awesome editor, so I'm lucky to have her.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders - they belong to S.E. Hinton. I do own anyone you don't know - why not? This will be referred to as 'the usual' from here on out.

On with the show!

Darry's POV

"Mom!"

I opened my eyes and realized it was morning. The clock on the wall said it was only eight so I groaned and rolled over, hoping to get back to the dream I was having. It was a good dream, one of those ones you couldn't remember, but it left you all warm inside and with a smile on your face. I was almost there, almost back asleep and dreaming, when Ponyboy repeated his wake up call.

"Mom!!"

"Ponyboy, don't yell. You'll wake up Darry," Mom answered.

"Where are my shoes?" He still yelled.

"At the front door, where they should be," she called back.

I sighed. The dream was gone and I was wide-awake. What was the point of trying to sleep in on your day off, your only day off? I should have known better than to expect quiet from either Pony or Soda. They get that from Dad, not the yelling, but the noise they make just being them. They cause more racket…

"Mom!" I was surprised Pony wasn't hoarse by now. No pun intended…

"They're at the front door," she repeated patiently.

"I found the shoes, where are my socks?"

"There are a dozen or so clean pairs on top of the dryer. Put your laundry away and wake up Sodapop while you're at it."

"Yeah, sure," he yelled back before he unmistakably tripped over the coffee table.

I envied Soda if he could sleep though all this. That kid could sleep through anything that was considered background noise. I was pretty sure he would be joining us in the land of the living fairly soon with Ponyboy on a mission.

"Get off or I'll tickle you to death!" Soda yelled, too happily for someone seriously threatening death.

I heard Pony laugh and knew Soda had followed through on his threat. I smiled to myself and finally got up. I went to the mirror and ran a brush through my hair. It was getting a bit long, not half as long as Pony and Soda's, and needed a trim. In my neighborhood, long hair was tuff, but it just wasn't my style. My blue-green eyes appraised the muscles along my arms and chest. They were my showpiece. Not that I'm not proud of my brains, I could just show the muscles off easier. They were intimidating to any new Greaser or Soc I came across and I liked it.

"Mom!" This time it was Soda yelling.

"Laundry's on the dryer, shoes are at the door," she answered.

"Thanks!" Soda chuckled.

I shook my head. It was obvious that there was no use in hiding in my room all day and opened my door to the chaos of the rest of the house.

"Mo–oh hi, Darry," Ponyboy greeted, almost running into me.

"Would you please quit yelling, Ponyboy?" I asked, a little irritated.

"What? Oh…I forgot it was your day off."

He was always forgetting something or not using his head. Don't get me wrong; I love the kid to death, he's just as clumsy as all get out. He was right in the middle of that whole awkward stage. He'd grow out of it and his feet would figure themselves out. He'd get to be about my height and get a better build before he was done. Heck, he was going to be even better looking than both Soda and me. He just had to get there, though. It's funny to think that he couldn't go through one day without tripping over something when he was the fastest thing on two feet I'd ever seen. He'd make a good football player if he cared for it. With the guys he was great, but around other people…well, let's just he'd never be able to play to a crowd of football enthused locals. Running was more his style. The school system moved him up a year so next fall he'd start high school. He was bound to get on the track team. The runners the coach had last year were nothing compared to Ponyboy. I guess he liked running because he didn't have to think. He must think in school with all the good grade he gets…

"Darry?" Pony asked and I realized I'd been starring at him for at least a full minute and that I was blocking his way.

Soda was standing there, too, but he was grinning. He held up a finger to count "1" another "2". I smiled and Pony looked at me with even more confusion, if it was possible.

"Three!!" Soda yelled and we sandwiched Pony between us

Pony was caught off guard and slumped to the floor where Soda and I tickled the daylights out of him for a bit. It was one of the favorite games around here, mostly because Pony was the only one still ticklish. When we were done, he glared up at the pair of us. I smiled widely and Soda let out a laugh. Pony had had enough for one day and looked like he wanted to kill both of us. Soda gave him one of his crazy grins and Pony smiled in spite of himself. Soda could make anyone smile, just like dad. I guess it was because he smiled so much himself.

"You're an all right kid, Pone," he said affectionately.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm starved," Pony stated, standing.

"Always thinking with your stomach," I muttered.

"Doesn't every Curtis? It seems to run in the family," Soda pointed out. I laughed and realized he was right. I was hungry, too.

Pony shook his head and led the way to the kitchen. He obviously wasn't kidding when he said he was hungry.

"'Morning, Junior. I see Pepsi-cola and Sport managed to get you out of bed." Dad smiled over the morning paper.

"Yeah," I answered. "They're good at that."

Mom set a plate of toast and some hard boiled eggs in front of Dad and smiled at us. Pony pulled the stack of toast in the middle of the table towards him and began to eat hungrily.

"I'm sorry, Darry. Pony and Soda should really try to be quieter." Mom threw them both pointedl ooks.

"We tried," Soda said through a mouthful of toast. "'Sides, who wants to spend their whole Saturday sleeping?"

"Yeah," Ponyboy agreed. "After a week of school or work, you need Saturday."

"I thought you liked school!" Mom said while pouring Dad a cup of coffee.

"I do, but I like Saturdays, too," he defended through another piece of toast.

I sat there and watched Pony and Soda eat until Mom handed me a cup of coffee. I was pretty much awake by then, but coffee had become part of my morning routine since I graduated and started working. I would have liked to go to college, but we didn't have the money. The football scholarship I got was a start, but it wasn't enough. That's why I worked all summer and why I'd be working all winter, too. I was going to work my way through college and make something of myself. It was hard and I didn't enjoy working six days a week, but it would be worth it to get out of this place and move on to bigger and brighter things.

Dad sighed and put the paper down. He took a drink of coffee before speaking.

"Nothing new today. The paper's still following the case of that Senator murdered in California," he informed us. "The paper says the police have a suspect, but they aren't releasing the name. They're going to have pictures of the funeral on Monday."

"I feel for the poor man's family. They won't have a shred of privacy," Mom sighed.

Senator Darr Finell had been thrown down a flight of stairs in California right before the elections. I took a sip of coffee and was thankful I wasn't aiming that high. Mom was right: there wasn't a shred of privacy for those people trying to change the world.

"It's the way the world works these days. What's on the agenda today, Junior?" Dad asked, changing the subject.

"I was going to work on the back gate and maybe get some other stuff done." I wasn't really sure yet.

"Well, don't work too hard and don't feel like you're trying to earn your keep." Mom always knew what I was up to.

"Well, I really wish you'd let me chip in around here. I mean, I could help and the way I eat, it would be a big difference," I pointed out.

I already knew the answer just like I knew it a thousand times before.

"That's got nothing to do with it, Junior." Dad was serious.

"We get along just fine as it is," Mom put in, remembering Soda's grape jelly and setting it in front of him. "So you can stop worrying.

As long as I lived, I would probably remember the way my mother fluttered around the kitchen, making sure we all had our favorites before she ever sat down to eat. She always saïd she couldn't enjoy herself while we were left wanting for anything. She was like that with everyone. That was probably one of the many reasons why she pretty much adopted all of our friends every which way but literally.

"Besides, you've earned more than your keep," Dad said, smiling and bringing my attention back to him. "We've had free babysitting for years and you know how hard it is to find a decent sitter."

"We don't need a babysitter, do we, Soda?" Pony smiled.

"No, you need a Zoo keeper like the rest of the monkeys." Soda ruffled his hair.

Pony fended off Soda's hand and tried his best to make his hair look decent. He was really self-conscious about the "greaser image" lately. I didn't know if it was because he was going into high school, Two-Bit gave him a talking to about being "Tuff", or it was his own idea. It didn't really matter.

A hoot of laughter from outside caught my ear. It was Two-Bit and from the sounds of it something was funny. Not everyone always saw it the same way as Two-Bit, but sometimes he was bang on. I got up and went to the front window to see what was going on. Pony and Soda didn't even bother while there was still breakfast to be eaten.

A real fancy car was pulled up out front of the house next door. It was the nicest house on the block and it probably cost the most. It was always for sale and everyone knew why. Our neighborhood had a bad reputation and no one wanted to live here if they could help it. The house was a wide two-story with a big yard. It was four bedrooms, a fair size kitchen, and also had a basement. Anyone who could afford it didn't want to live here.

The car was a mustang, a bright red one. The man who stood beside it looked too plump to go anywhere without it. He shivered a little in the mid-November air or possibly from fear - I couldn't decide which - and moved his feet a bit. He was eyeing Two-Bit, Dally, and Steve warily as he shifted from side to side. He was reluctant to leave his car and kept eyeing his surroundings suspiciously, probably worried the guys would take his car while he wasn't looking or some thing. It was kind of stupid because if they had wanted it, it would be gone by now. He seemed to get a sudden burst of courage and darted into the yard and slapped a "sold" sign over the weather beaten "for sale" sign and rushed back to his precious car. He slammed the door tight behind him and took off towards the west side well above the speed limit, Two-Bit's laughter following him.

I shook my head and went back to the kitchen. They'd be in here in a moment to retell the tale. Sure enough, the door banged open and shoes were kicked against the wall a minute later.

"…Funniest thing all week…" Two-Bit trailed off laughing.

"That Soc won't be back here any time soon." Dally smiled and led the way into the kitchen followed by Steve and, finally, a howling Two-Bit.

"'Morning, boys," Dad greeted.

"'Morning, Mrs. C, Mr. C," Steve greeted before attempting to mooch some of Soda's breakfast.

Soda just shook his head and scooped some of his eggs onto a slice of toast before handing it over. Steve probably hadn't eaten yet, since his folks were usually home and awake on the weekends. Steve's homelife wasn't the greatest and I didn't begrudge him a meal here or there.

Dally nodded his hello and Two-Bit waved between fits of laughter.

"Where's Johnny?" Pony asked, trying to look around Two-Bit.

Johnny was usually Two-Bit or Dally's shadow. When he wasn't with someone from the gang, you could assume he was hiding from his folks or recovering from a beating. Dally didn't look concerned, so I assumed Johnny was fine and probably smoking outside. Mom had a real strict rule about smoking in the house.

"He's comin'," Dally assured him. "He knows we have plans today."

"What are you boys going to do?" Mom asked.

"Hang out, play some football, maybe catch the Nightly Double," Dally shrugged.

Mom smiled at him. Since Dallas had turned seventeen a week ago, he had been around less to spend time with Pony and Johnny. You could tell the kids missed him. I didn't spend much time with Dally myself. I was nineteen and far too wrapped up in responsibility to enjoy a lot of the stuff Dallas did. Though he had told me on several occasions that he could get me a fake ID and we could paint the town red. I figured he was just being polite, well, as polite as Dallas ever got.

"Me and Steve are going down town for a while," Soda told her. "That okay, Mom?"

"Just remember curfew's at 12," she reminded.

"They know, Ellie," Dad said. "They have my sense of time, so they never need watches."

Mom rolled her eyes and Soda let out a laugh. I had to smile. That was Dad for you. And this was just another morning at the Curtis'.

Ok! The end of chapter 1. I have to be careful about what I label as 'the end' around here.

Any comments at all are welcome and flames are accepted!

See ya in the funny papers!!

Tens and Zickachik